Latch construction



Aug.- 19., 1924. y 1,505,380

| A. DEXTER LATGH coNsT'ucTIoN Filed Feb. 9, 1922 landen AIDex-Fer 5gg/MEX@ ff Patented Aug. 19, 1924.

1,505,380 Arsr or'rics.

LUUIEN A. DEXTER, QF GRAND RAPIIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 NATIONAL BRASS COMPANY, O1? GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, Ak CORPGRA'I'O'N 0F MICHIGAN.

LATCH C(TN553113311210TION.`

Application filed February 9, 1922. Serial `1110.535311?.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, LUoinN A. DEXTER, a citizen of the `United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State ot Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latch Construction; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the 'art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention is concerned with latches, particularly latches of the type shown in United States Patent No. 1,327,695,`issued Jan. 13, 1920, and which are adapted to be installed on swinging doors, and in which the entire latch structure, substantially, is housed within a cylindrical housing which may be installed in connection with a door by merely boring the proper openings for the housing and the operating member for the latch mechanism. In latches of this type, the latch bolt head normally projecting from the outer end of the housing should be properly guided at opposite sides so that it will not tilt or otherwise change position as it is pressed against in closing a door equipped with the latch, and the present invention has the ready and economical production ot such guiding means as its primary object and purpose. A further object of the invention is to provide the guiding means in a very simple and economical manner, striking oppositely positioned guides from two separate members located at the outer end of the latch housing and connected thereto, through which openings have to be made for the passage of ythe latch bolt head, the metal being cut Afrom said members to make the openings required and turned inwardly into the latch housing in position for the bolt head to pass freely between, serving as substantially rigid guides for the bolt head and holding it from tilting or other undesired movements. These and many other objects and purposes, together with novel constructions for attaining the same, will appear as understanding of the invention is had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal section taken vertically at the outer end of the latch.

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view ot the outer end tace plate connected at the end of the latch housing.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view ot' the sheet metal cap which ispermanently attached to said plate. I

Fig. 4 is a section through the connected cap and plate taken on the plane of line Lft-4, of Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a similar section taken on ther plane of line 5-5, of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation ot' the connected cap and plate, parts of the plate, at the ends, being broken away.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawing.y

In the construction of the latch, a cylin` drical housing 1 is used within which the latch mechanism is received, said mechanism including a member 2 ot metal Aat the tront end of which anend 3 is turned substantially at right angles to lie across and within the housing. A latch bolt compris ing a rod 4y with a head 5 at its outer end is connected with the end 3, having a slidable connection therewith which is fully shown and describedfin the patent above noted, the

rod and head being normally projected outwardly by a spring 6 around the rod between head 5 andthe end 3,as shown.

A cap 7 of sheet metal covers the open outer end of the housing 1 and is attached thereto 'by meansot projections 8 pressed outwardly from the sidesr ofthe housing to enter suitable bayonetv slots in the sides of the cap (not shown), which are no part of the present invention. A tace plate 9 is located against the outer endot the cap and permanently secured thereto, as will 'later appear.

The head 5 must pass through the outer end of the cap, and in making the opening to permit such passage, a tongue of metal 10 is struck trom the cap end and turned inwardly, as shown, an opening 11 being made. Additional pieces of metal are cut from the end of the cap to leave a recess 12 directly opposite the tongue 10, and two'recesses 13 opposite each other and at right angles to the recess 12 and the tongue 10.

The plate 9 also has an opening 14 for the passage of head 5 and in making the same the metal is struck back so as to make tongues 16 at other sides ot t-he opening which are at right angles to the side at which tongue 15 is located. Vlongues 16 are of a width that the same substantially till the recesses 13', passing therethrough and then being bent over against the inner side of the end of the cap to make a permanent connection between the cap and plate 9, as best shown in Fig. t. f

When thus attached and with the cap placed over the end of the housing 1, tongues 10 and 15 extend into the housing, one at each side of the openings through the plate and cap, are in parallel relation to each other and one at each side ot the head 5, serving as guides therefor. The guide tongue 15 is at the,` longer flat side of the head, and guide tongue 10 at the opposite shorter flat side, at which side the head is bevelled to make a cam surface to ride against the strike on thedoor casing in closing, the head and attached bolt rod 4: moving inwardly and spring 6 being compressed. The pressure acting against said Vcam side has a tendency to tilt the head and rod to one side, being stopped, however, by the tongue 15. -As the head is pressed inwardly, its other side rides against the guide 10 and it cannot move or tilt in the opposite direction. The head kis iirmly held and guided so that it must move directly in or out, neither the pressure of the spring or against the incline-d side ot the head having any tilting eiiect which is not obviated by the guides. The construction is very simple, practical and eifective in every way and in practice has proved particularly satisfactory.

I claim: Y

1. In a latch construction, a tace plate having an opening therethrough and formed with a tongue extending to the rear at one side of the opening, a cap attached to the rear side of the face plate, itsv end contact ingwith the plate having an opening therethrough and formed wit-h a tongue extending to' the rear, said openings in the plate and capr being in conjunction and said tongues being'spaced apart and substantially parallel to each other and extending in the same direction from opposite sides olf thek openings, a latch housing connected with thecap and a latch b'olt in the housing having ahead guided between the two tongues, substantially as described.

- 2. In a latch construction, a face plate having an opening therethrough, a cap of sheet metal located against the rear side ot the plate and likewise having an opening therethrough in conjunction with the opening in the plate, means permanently con'- necting the plate and cap together, and a tongue struck from both the plate and cap extending to the rear into said cap, said tongues extending at opposite sides ot the openings and being located in parallel relation to each other.

3. In a latch construction, a cylindrical housing, a latch bolt having a head mountd ed therein, a sheet metal cap having an opening therethrough for the passage of the head or' the bolt attached atA one end of the housing, a guide on said cap extending into the housing at one side of the head ot the bolt, a face plate secured to the cap also having an. opening therethrough, and a second guide on theV tace plate extending through the opening in the cap at the oppo site side of the head of said bolt, substantially as described.

ll. ln a latch construction, a cylindrical housing ot' sheet metal, a latch bolt mounted tor longitudinal movements within the housing, said bolt having a head at its outer end, a closure formed of a single piece otl sheet metal for the outer end of the housing having an opening to pass the head ot the bolt therethrough, and two oppositely located guides attached to the closure one ot said guides being integrally formed with the closure, and eXtendinginto the housing between which the bolt head is guided and held in its movements. A n

5. In a latch construction, a housing having an open outer end, a capy located over said end ot the housing and having an opening therethrough, the metal in cutting said opening being turned into the cap and housing rearwardly to provide a tongue, a plate secured to the cap, said plate also having an opening cut therethrough with the metal severed in cutting said opening turned to the rear through the opening in the cap at one side thereof directly opposite the posi tion of the tongue cut from the cap, said metal turned to the rear from the plate providing a second tongue paralleling the first tongue, and .latch mechanism mounted in the housing for movement lengthwise thereof, said mechanism including a latch bolt having a head at its outer end guided between said tongues in the movements thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LUoiEN A.. DEXTER. 

